Quality Leadership Weblog :-)

Book Review: The Body Electric, (New York Times)…William Saletan, New York Times, December 27, 2009, pg. BR14

…The heroes of his new book, “The Department of Mad Scientists,” work for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, better known as Darpa, a secretive arm of the United States government. And the revolution they’re leading is a merger of humans with machines.

Policy, protocols, rules sets, routines, “the way we do things around here,” refer to guidelines that are used to manage variability.

People take action. Action is taken via a process/system. Systems determine the majority of the result.  The majority of change typically results in no improvement.  How do you assess if the actions made things better or worse?  Who decides?   

BLOG Post by Thomas P.M. Barnett on December 25, 2009 4:25 AM

You say protocols, I say rule sets

ARTICLE: The Protocol Society, By DAVID BROOKS, New York Times, December 22, 2009

Nice piece by Brooks.

Will sound awfully familiar to readers of this blog. Just substitute "rule sets" for protocols. Algorithms work nicely too!

Been saying it for over a decade (all the way back to TheRuleSets.Project days): America’s most important exports are its rules.

We consider it soft power; others view it more harshly (or hard-ly).

(Thanks: Eric Fisher)

Op-Ed. The Sidney Awards, By DAVID BROOKS, Published: December 25, 2009

Every year, I give out Sidney Awards to the best magazine essays of the year. In an age of zipless, electronic media, the idea is to celebrate (and provide online linkof poor quality:d “cost es to) long-form articles that have narrative drive and social impact.

One of the awards includes a medical related “cost  of poor quality” story, e.g.,How American Health Care Killed My Father, by David Goldhill. Note reference to the 100,000 deaths refers to common cause variation.

My dad became a statistic—merely one of the roughly 100,000 Americans whose deaths are caused or influenced by infections picked up in hospitals. One hundred thousand deaths: more than double the number of people killed in car crashes, five times the number killed in homicides, 20 times the total number of our armed forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another victim in a building American tragedy.

Business and the Way of Democracy, By ANDREA BONIME-BLANC and MARK BRZEZINSKI, Published: December 26, 2009

The role that integrity plays in the private sector is similar to the role that democracy plays in the public sector.

Much like transitions to democracy over the past four decades transformed governments from mostly authoritarian to mostly democratic, we are currently witnessing a transformation of global corporations from a more or less opaque shareholder-centric model to a more transparent multi-stakeholder model.

Article infers a reference to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The assessment has its critics but I have found it has been a useful tool – I’m generally pretty accurate in identifying preference which helps improve communications.

Op-Ed. An Officer and a Creative Man, By MARK MOYAR, December 19, 2009, New York Times

Researchers have found that the leadership ranks of big organizations are dominated by either "sensing-judging" or "intuitive thinking" personality types. Those in the former category rely primarily on the five senses to tell them about the world; they prefer structure and standardization, doing things by the book and maintaining tight control.

.. . But this personality type functions less well in activities that change frequently or demand regular risk-taking, like technological development or counterinsurgency. Organizations that thrive under such conditions are most often led by people with intuitive-thinking personalities. These people are quick to identify the need for change and to solve problems by venturing outside the box.

Comments about the Article: Small Wars Journal.

Note the reference to cause and effect.  The “effect” represented in the statement: “Our aim is to manifest the fundamental innate mind of clear light, the most subtle level of consciousness, and to remain within that level of mind without regressing to grosser levels.” On the “causes”:  the practice of the Great Completeness style of meditation.

Dalai Lama Quote of the Week

Two years ago a Tibetan yogi who practiced the Great Completeness style of meditation in the Nyingma tradition achieved a state of the complete disappearance of his gross physical body, which we call "achieving a rainbow body." His name was Achok, and he was from Nyarong. He studied philosophy from time to time at a Geluk monastic university near Lhasa called Sera, and he also received teachings from my junior tutor Trijang Rinpochay, but his main teacher was the Nyingma lama, Dujom Rinpochay. Although he practiced Tantra according to both the old and new schools of Tibetan Buddhism, his main practice was the recitation of "om mani padme hum" and its accompanying meditation.

Until about three years ago, he frequently said he hoped to have the opportunity of meeting the Dalai Lama in this lifetime. Then, one day he called on his followers to perform offerings for the sake of the Dalai Lama’s life. After they made offerings, he surprised them by announcing that he would leave. He put on his saffron monastic robe and told them to seal him inside his room for a week. His disciples followed his request and after a week opened the room to find that he had completely disappeared except for his robe. One of his disciples and a fellow practitioner came to Dharmsala, where they related the story to me and gave me a piece of his robe.

Since he usually remained in retreat as a very simple monk with no pretensions, unlike some lamas, he proved that he was a good practitioner and finally this occurred. You can see the connection between cause and effect. There are others about whom miracles are claimed, but without the proper causes.

In Highest Yoga Tantra, the potencies–that in ordinary life produce impure environments and beings by way of the very subtle wind and mind–are purified through ppractice of the spiritual path, whereby they are transformed into the pure, altruistic mind, speech, and body of a Buddha. Our aim is to manifest the fundamental innate mind of clear light, the most subtle level of consciousness, and to remain within that level of mind without regressing to grosser levels. However, this purified state is not just mental; it involves body, but a body fashioned from wind, the wind that is the mount of the mind of clear light. The ultimate purpose of these manifestations is to assist others in achieving the same freedom from suffering and limitation.

The center of this process of purification is realization of the luminous and knowing nature of mind–understanding that afflictive emotions such as lust, hatred, enmity, jealousy, and belligerence do not reside in the very essence of mind but are peripheral to it. When the mind knows its own nature and when this knowledge is teamed with powerful concentration, it gradually becomes possible to reduce and finally to overcome the afflictive states that drive the process of repeated suffering. This is the Tibetan view of the intimate relationship between mind and matter, and how they work in the process of altruistically directed purification.

–from Mind of Clear Light: Advice on Living Well and Dying Consciously by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, Ph.D.

N. Korea: U.S. Must Alter ‘Hostile’ Policy, (Houston Chronicle)…Jean H. Lee, Associated Press. North Korea said it refuses to give up its nuclear weapons until after the U.S. alters its “hostile policy” toward the North’s government and proves it does not pose an atomic threat to the wartime rival.

North Korea Maintains Its Tough Stance, (New York Times)…Choe Sang-Hun, Jan 15, 2008.  In what appears to be its first official message to the incoming Obama administration, North Korea has demanded that the United States normalize relations with it before the North abandons nuclear weapons.

Top British Diplomat Blasts ‘War On Terror’, (Washington Times)…Unattributed
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband wants a rethink of the strategy against terrorism, calling the notion of a war on terrorism “misleading and mistaken.”

Britain To Attack Its Afghan War Allies, (Financial Times)…James Blitz, 14 Jan 09. John Hutton, Britain’s defence secretary, will on Thursday launch an attack on the commitment of the UK’s European Union allies to the war in Afghanistan, warning that Europe can no longer continue “freeloading” on the back of US military security.

Inside The Ring, By Bill Gertz, Washington Times, January 15, 2009

A military analyst in Afghanistan has identified 2009 as a critical year for U.S. and allied counterinsurgency efforts against the Taliban and al Qaeda. The analyst, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, told Inside the Ring that U.S. actions this year will either start the beginning of success or a shift toward “a tipping point toward failure.”

“From a security perspective, the insurgents have grown more powerful and capable due to their safe havens in Pakistan; [improvised explosive device] attacks have increased and caused many coalition casualties but have killed more Afghans than anyone,” the officer said.

According to the officer, who is well-versed in events throughout the region, the year is likely to see some political gains for the government in Kabul but more combat, as well. “Many areas that appear quiet are only so because the insurgency has roots there as well,” said the officer. “The introduction of more U.S. forces will kick the beehives.”

U.S. officials including Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have also warned that the U.S. is not winning in Afghanistan. The officer said some of the problems involve a lack of support from NATO allies, a continued overemphasis on Iraq and an insufficient number of advisers and trainers for Afghan security forces.

For example, he said, the Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan has less than 60 percent of the forces needed to develop the Afghan security forces. He said that the Central Command-led U.S. Forces Afghanistan are short about 50 percent of the troops and forces it needs, as the military prepares to double the force with the addition of about 12,000 troops this year.

He said the unfolding U.S. counterinsurgency strategy this year will follow four main elements:

*Expanding, training and equipping Afghan military and police forces to provide security.

*Developing good governance and rule of law.

*Creating a sustainable market economy.

*Developing a free press and nationwide communications and media system to reach local communities to defeat insurgent propaganda and highlight Afghan success stories.

Another major problem to date has been a lack of integrated planning for these soft-power elements. The result has been “stovepipe efforts that do not achieve full and efficient results and effects in areas of operation,” the officer said.

He said the focus also has to be on Pakistan and its tribal areas, which have been a haven for militants.

“We cannot win in Afghanistan without a regional strategy and without Pakistan’s full renunciation and support to terrorism and terrorist groups,” the officer said.

Pakistani military operations in the North West Frontier and Federally Administered Tribal Areas have been helpful so far but need to be stepped up, he said.

“The same tribal, governance and development problems on the Afghan side of the border are mirrored across the border in Pakistan.”

“We are competing against a thousand years of culture but one that can change as trust and confidence grows in the hearts of each Afghani.”

The keys to success in Afghanistan are to continue efforts to put Afghans in the lead, and embed U.S. and NATO advisers in Afghan combat units’ tactical to operational levels, he said.

Additionally, he said, more combat power is needed on the ground for both coalition and Afghan forces, and substantially more development resources and funds are needed.

Clinton Touts ‘Smart Power’ Use, (Washington Times)…Nicholas Kralev, Jan 14, 2009

Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton pledged Tuesday to use “smart power” to reduce the military’s role in U.S. foreign policy and put a “civilian face” on America’s role abroad after the Bush administration’s heavy reliance on the use of force.